In F1, it is customary for the official tire supplier of the championship — which has been Pirelli for over a decade now — to hand out the pole position trophy after the qualifying or sprint qualifying sessions. Fans in attendance at the track, and viewers at home get to see the pole-sitter bag a miniature Pirelli soft tire as an acknowledgment of their one-lap supremacy.
However, what many fans don’t know is that Pirelli also awards a driver with the most pole positions after a season. This is known as the Pirelli Poleman of the Year award, and is a life-size Pirelli tire replica sitting on a plaque. Last year, Max Verstappen took that accolade after eight pole positions and three sprint qualifying poles.
Pirelli CEO, Mario Isola, however, explained that when the Dutchman was presented with the award at the Abu Dhabi GP, he had a peculiar complaint! “It was funny, because he told me the tire was too big for his flat,” said Isola in an exclusive interview with F1Maximaal.nl.
View this post on Instagram
In the end, Verstappen accepted the award and it is now displayed in the Dutchman’s store in Swalmen, a village in the Netherlands.
And despite the logistical complaints about tires by many drivers, Isola is quite proud of the fact that his company recognizes their achievements in such a meaningful and grand way.
Despite RB20 woes, Verstappen edged out his competition on one-lap pace
Verstappen’s single-lap pace in the first half of the 2024 season was blistering. The Dutchman took seven consecutive pole positions in the opening seven rounds of the season. The Red Bull driver’s eighth and last pole position of the year came at the team’s home race at the Austrian GP at the Red Bull Ring.
But as the RB20’s performance started to decline from the Monaco GP onwards, McLaren’s Lando Norris stepped up to give the Dutchman a run for his money in terms of one-lap pace in the MCL38. Norris also bagged eight pole positions in 2024 (in Spain, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Singapore, USA, Sao Paulo, and Abu Dhabi).
That said, despite being tied for pole positions in Grand Prix qualifying, the Pirelli Poleman of the Year award swung in Verstappen’s favor because of his better sprint qualifying record.
Norris only grabbed two sprint race pole positions in 2024, one at the first sprint event of the year in China and one at the last sprint event of the year in Qatar. On the other hand, the Dutchman pipped Norris to the accolade with three sprint pole positions (in Miami, Austria, and Austin).
